West Ham travel to Anfield to face Liverpool this weekend, rounding off a tricky run of fixtures to kick off the season.
The Hammers have taken points off Tottenham and Manchester City in recent weeks, and look much improved this season under David Moyes.
Jarrod Bowen has been instrumental to that, shining in his first full season at the club after his £20 million (BBC) arrival in January.
He spoke to the club’s official website about what it’s like playing at Anfield and the challenges of facing the Reds.
Bowen said: “Anfield is obviously an unbelievable stadium. Unfortunately it won’t have the same atmosphere that we experienced last season but it’s another challenge for me and for the team.”
“We know how strong the Liverpool team is, but on the back of our performances against Tottenham and Man City, we feel we can take it and go there hoping to achieve as much as we can.
“We know they’re going to have a lot of the ball, try to hurt us in different ways, but as long as we defend well and stay compact, which we always need to do away, especially at Liverpool, we give ourselves a great chance.”
Playing at Anfield is intimidating as it comes in English football in front of a full house, but it will be empty and near-silent this weekend.
That takes something away from the spectacle, but perhaps makes the assignment a shade easier than it would otherwise be.
The absences of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Fabinho also mean Bowen will line up against a makeshift backline.
Considering Moyes’ men caused a scare in last season’s meeting – losing 3-2 late on – Bowen’s confidence they can go one better and get a result this time around is well-founded.
- Meet Ethan Pocic’s wife Heather as Jeffree Star tweet continues to puzzle
- Michael McKean aka ‘Lenny’ of Laverne & Shirley pays tribute to Cindy Williams
- Is the Sean Payton movie on Netflix? Where to stream Home Team
- Who is Henry Anderson’s wife Saryn? Jeffree Star tweet sends fans Googling
- Who is OussiFooty? Age, real name and nationality of TikTok footballer